Pentagon orders 'research security audits' at 30 universities, academic institutions

The Department of War has issued "formal notifications to 30 domestic academic institutions" over concerns of foreign influence. These schools have been directed "to initiate immediate and comprehensive reviews of their academic, financial and research collaborations with foreign entities of concern."

The notifications, per the Pentagon, "address active institutional ties and collaborations with foreign entities identified under Section 1286 of the FY19 NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act], as well as organizations associated with rebranded Confucius Institutes." Confucius Institutes are Chinese government-funded institutes at American and international schools.

"The Department of War has zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security," said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, per a release. "Institutions that receive funding from American taxpayers must uphold the highest standards of research security, and these mandated audits will ensure accountability across the board."

The Pentagon has not released the names of the schools who have been notified, but the Trump administration has come down hard on universities, including Harvard, Columbia, UPenn, UCLA, and others. The Pentagon offers tuition reimbursement for military members attending a number of universities and the notification from the Department of War indicates that if changes are not made, these schools will no longer be among those for which that program is possible.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth brought up the need for changes at these schools in February and the new round of notifications comes just ahead of the 2026-27 academic year, during which the Pentagon intends to discontinue funding of graduate-level education at these schools for military members should changes not be forthcoming.

In February, the Pentagon cut ties with 13 universities, including Brown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and Princeton. 93 fellowships were severed as Hegseth announced, "For decades the Ivy League and similar institutions have gorged themselves on a trust fund of American taxpayer dollars only to become factories of anti-American resentment and military disdain." He called the schools "woke breeding grounds of toxic indoctrination."